This success gave Lucifer much power. He tapped into the dark matter around him and strengthened his allies. Together they fought against the light and converted many to their worship. It was during this time that the first famines came about. The Earth had felt suffering while her children were being taken from their homes in the forest, cut down and used as sacrifice without any prayers or thoughts of their actions. She spoke to the Water. “I feel a burning around me that is hurting in ways I have never experienced. Do you have enough water to fill a space between the Air and I? Your presence would soften the Air and give it a blessing.” The Water asked the Air to try something that has never been tried before. They created a second embryo of water in the middle of the Sky. The Fire could not burn as it did before across the land of the Earth. The insects and small green children began to thrive with joy. All other animals depending on them did the same in return. The Earth felt a peace again that she remembered from her youth.
Lucifer looked at this and saw that it was good. Here was a new opportunity. He went to his followers and told them to create sacrifices equal to the bounty that they were now experiencing. For it was he would had created this expanse across the sky. No longer were there only clouds of rain, but he had created an expanse of water, a natural greenhouse, a garden of Eden. And in return he would be respected. The labor intensified to the point of exhaustion. The Air began to feel the burn first. Then the Water on the Earth. Then the Water in the expanse. The Earth began to weep from anguish. Never had she imagine that she would have such selfish children. The Sun was hot enough. The fire could be left to the Sky, not to the altars before them.
Time watched these moments for many millennia before he decided to turn his face against the children of the Earth. He noticed that they were spending far too much time in the presence of strangers to their world, offering sacrifices and parts of their houses that would have served their families. Time did something that had never been done before. He created a time warp so any spirit in an area of the physical plane who was about to be seen by a human would be forced back to the spirit dimension. Only by a large feeding of energy were spirits able to come into the physical plane and be seen by humans continuously.
One of the Spirits heard Time speaking to the Water. “Come my dear, our daughter is burning alive, the children on her glands are pulling from their roots and distorting the black water underneath. They burn her skin, give no respect to her intentions and kills her children incessantly. May we offer a freedom from this heavy burden?”
The Water replied, “I see your face in the matter, I will ask that when that time comes you would allow me to fall quietly and reflect to you those that I would ask to be brought to a time when they would live upon Mother Earth in the ecstasy that we have seen then in before.”
“I will do this thing.” assured the Clock Master.
The Spirit whisked away on a stream of the air and landed on the ground. He went to a pond and looked at his reflection. “May I speak with you Grandmother?”
“What is your name little one?”
“Shadow” spoked the quick footed.
“It is good to speak with you, Shadow, what are your words for me?” replied the still surface.
“I would go and speak with a child of your words with Time. I might warn them and by so doing allow a remnant to survive this moment to come.” answered the Spirit.
Replied the Water, “I know the heart of the Earth and she loves all of her children, especially those meant to nurture her. If you find some that would stand with respect I will allow this request.”
The Spirit was elated. He immediately went searching for one that would speak well. That would capture his heart. He came finally among a house of a man that spoke very highly about his words and deeds. He would share his bounty often with his close friends and they would sing drunk carols into the morning sun. Every night the Spirit would come and listen to his tales and his feats. More, the Spirit loved when he would speak on the thing he was to do in the future. Nary a day went by where he would not be found in his living room, surrounding with those that loved him, speaking boldly of past moments, future moments and his morals and integrity.
The Spirit felt that this would be the one. He came to him on a dark night. “Sir, I would speak with you.”
“Who’s there! Show yourself!” the drinking one yelled at the brisk intrusion into his perfectly good and quiet evening. One of the first nights he hadn’t been obliged to sit there and entertain all of his guests once again. He knew that he had asked for their support through speaking with the other tribes to create new bargain lines for their products, but he honestly hadn’t felt like traveling out and beginning those conversations. He had been gifted a generous amount of wine recently from one of his cousins. He was harvesting in bulk to prepare for the coming commerce that would make all of them rich. They were all just waiting on him. The one that was good at talking, but not so good at following through with his words.
But the wine wouldn’t be good by the time he got back. Which means that someone else would drink it. And that just wouldn’t do. So tonight his plan was to drink 3 times more than he would if anyone was here. He was about halfway through his ceremony when the voice came out from the shadows. “Show yourself I say!” he barked at the dark crevice.
“I cannot, sir. My face is one that is meant to be hidden. I come not to be known, but to let something else be know. I come with a message from the Gods for you.”
“A message from the Gods!?! Are you confused my friend? What message could you be here to tell?” laughed the drunk boozer.
“I have heard it from the mouth of Time. I have seen it shimmer on the window of the lake. There will be a day where the water will fall and will not cease until all the fires have been put out. May you take shelter on that day my friend.” Shadow slipped away before the man could come to see his face. The drunk slipped away back down to the river where he washed himself. He finally had something real to think about.